And they have the balls to call NYC the greenest city in america. Yet they still fight the ebike thing.

Why don't they just say it. " We're terrified that bike messengers will build 40 mph ebikes and ride em like they do their pedal bike" As if that particular group isn't already doing that, would care if it was legal or not, or could be caught by any cop for doing it.

So lets make sure the old guy with perhaps bad knees can't ebike at all as a solution. Messed up.

UPPER WEST SIDE — For restaurant deliverymen hustling hot food to hungry customers, electric bikes are a tool that makes their jobs easier.

But some Upper West Siders say the motor-powered bicycles are a dangerous menace that require stricter rules.

Community Board 7's Transportation Committee recently approved a resolution calling on city and state lawmakers to require registration and Department of Motor Vehicle-issued licenses for electric bikes.

The full board is expected to vote on the resolution, which is modeled after one approved by the Upper East Side's Community Board 8, at its January meeting.

Nora Prentice, a 50-year-old Upper West Sider, says the regulation is needed to prevent a ticking safety bomb on neighborhood streets.

She said she was recently struck and knocked to the ground on West 91st Street, between Riverside Drive and West End Avenue, by a deliveryman from Hunan Balcony riding an electric bike.

She explained that she was crossing West 91st Street mid-block, facing oncoming traffic, when the deliveryman hit her from behind, sending her sprawling.

Prentice twisted an ankle and bruised a hand in the collision, she noted. The driver stopped, said, "Sorry, no English," and then went on his way, according to Prentice.

Electric bikes, which come in a variety of styles, look similar to traditional bicycles, but they can travel up to about 20 mph with the help of a battery-powered motor mounted on the bike. Prentice estimates that the cyclist who knocked her down was going at least that fast.

She didn't call 911 or the restaurant, but reported the incident to the 24th Precinct and fired off an email to Community Board 7.

"If I'd been an elderly person, there would have been something broken," Prentice told DNAinfo. "Somebody is going to get severely injured. It's just a matter of time. It's a new level of danger."

Prentice said the e-bikes are particularly hazardous because they're very quiet, so pedestrians don't notice them until it's too late.

But for the deliverymen at Hunan Balcony, electric bikes make a physically demanding job easier, said assistant manager Jenny Wu.

"They work about eight hours a day," she said. "They're using their legs. It's very tiring. They're trying to save energy."

Wu said three of her four deliverymen use electric bikes, and the one who doesn't is "strong and young." The deliverymen, who own their own bikes, like the e-bikes because they can cover more territory faster, she added.

Some deliverymen have said restaurants prefer to hire workers who own electric bikes, but Wu said that's not a consideration when she's hiring. Her priority is employees who are polite and respectful to customers.

Wu hadn't heard that one of Hunan Balcony's deliverymen had collided with someone, and she wished that Prentice would have alerted the restaurant.

"If it really is our employee, we need to be more careful. But if we don't know, we can't do anything about it," Wu said, adding that she reminds delivery workers to obey traffic laws.

Electric bikes are technically illegal on city streets, but police enforce the law sporadically and the bikes are readily available for purchase at stores like NYCeWheels.

Andrew Rigie, spokesman for the New York State Restaurant Association, said his organization would like lawmakers to consider legalizing e-bikes.

"They allow for better customer service, fresher food, and they allow the delivery people to give speedier service, which means they’ll earn more money in tips," Rigie said.

Brooklyn State Senator Martin Malave Dilan has introduced legislation to legalize the style of electric bikes known as "electric-assisted," which use both pedal power and a small battery-operated motor.

Different versions of the bill passed the Assembly and Senate, and now lawmakers are negotiating the legislation's final language, said Matthew Trapasso, Dilan's policy and legislative director.

Dilan proposed the law as a way to encourage more people to use bikes, Trapasso said. He disputed the idea that electric bikes are more dangerous than people-powered bicycles, noting that experienced cyclists can probably ride as fast as 20 miles per hour.

While Community Board 7's resolution says seniors in particular are under threat from e-bikes, Trapasso said several older and disabled people have told him they actually like the motorized cycles.

"It helps them move around," Trapasso said. "If they can't afford a car and gas prices are getting higher, this is a way for them to get to the store and back."

This isn't the first time Community Board 7 has tried to crack down on restaurant delivery cyclists.

The board has also said it won't approve sidewalk cafe permits or liquor license applications for restaurants if their deliverymen are caught breaking the city's list of bike laws.

"... modeled after one approved by the Upper East Side's Community Board 8..."

You can actually watch the cancer metastasizing...

L0cK

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I can go from 0-30mph in under 6 seconds (0-20mph in 2 SECONDS!) on my road racing bike, putting in a full 100% effort.

And they're going to start saying ebikes are too fast....at 20mph. That woman could just of easily been hit by ANY bicycle.

This is nothing other than a case of assigning blame to a completely non-correlated group. You want to talk danger? 4000lb cabs bombing down NYC are perfectly safe, yeah, totally. I've been in one and was surprised I survived that trip. Someone needs to stand up HARD for this. Someone in NYC....

This dumb chick proves eBikes aren't very dangerous 'cause she (claims) got hit by one and didn't need/seek medical attention!

The delivery rider was probably riding against traffic on one way street. I do too every once in a while. Particularly, if the trip around the block will put me at more risk than just going easy against mostly sitting traffic.

Pedestrians, do cross and often never look both ways so always keep it slow, gentle and bell ready.

The problem here isn't eBikes but the riders. However, I can tell you this city loves revenue streams and they're licking their chops to get their filthy. grubby fingers on eBike regulations!

Talent must not be wasted.... Those who have talent must hug it, embrace it, nurture it and share it lest it be taken away from you as fast as it was loaned to you.

The delivery rider was probably riding against traffic on one way street. I do too every once in a while. Particularly, if the trip around the block will put me at more risk than just going easy against mostly sitting traffic.

Pedestrians, do cross and often never look both ways so always keep it slow, gentle and bell ready.

The problem here isn't eBikes but the riders. However, I can tell you this city loves revenue streams and they're licking their chops to get their filthy. grubby fingers on eBike regulations!

That describes Portland pretty well too, but fortunately for us, bicycles are are sacred cows, and E-Bikes so far are being given he same treatment (over-compensated, but no fear of a ban, licensing for ALL bicycles is being considered how ever. )

I love it when a idiot claims to have a reasonable grievance but never even talks to the offender (alleged restaurant) but tattles to the local PD and government like an over-grown school girl. Typical busy body with nothing better to do.

Gotta love how it's "technically" illegal to ride an E-Bike in NYC, but they don't actually want the "problem" to go away, just find a way to add insane fines for normal everyday use instead of just fining serious offenders (those people generally don't have the cash for the exorbitant fees, so they fine average working people who do) or enforcing a ban, just marginalize the E-Bikers, call them "dangerous" and enough sheeple will join in and agree that something has to be done about those evil E-Bikers running over little old ladies!

Makes about as much sense as all the insane illogical arguments that are always tied into being "for children" etc., etc.

And if you disagree, there isn't going to be a legitimate debate, they just accuse you of wanting to let little old ladies and kids get run over by the E-Bikers.

My coworker (pedaler) prefers to ride through Central Park but every few weeks cops go on a ticket writing binge for running the crosswalk red lights scattered throughout the park drive. They hide out nearby and/or often an officer will actually push the walk button when bicycles are approaching - even though nobody's actually gonna use the crosswalk. My coworker's gotten several of these tickets over the years which require court appearance and it's all quite clearly a revenue grab.

Now he rarely uses the park for his daily commute - instead he rides the much more dangerous streets to avoid being targeted for revenue. It's really a shame he's been forced to take his chances on the streets as opposed to being targeted by the city for cash.

I'm an old midwest guy who's been working NYC for over 6 years. The truest wisdom I can share about this place is that you can stay in bed all day but somebody will still figure out a way to get $50 out of you!

If you must ride eBikes here, keep it on the down low and be very courteous to pedestrians and pedal bikes. They're the ones we need on our side...

Talent must not be wasted.... Those who have talent must hug it, embrace it, nurture it and share it lest it be taken away from you as fast as it was loaned to you.

Banning ebikes isn't going to work. If someone tried to ban them here I'd get the ADA all over them with law suits. Not everyone can ride a bicycle like a normal healthy person and bicycle is usually a much better form of transport in a crowded urban environment like NYC. They should be promoting ebikes not demonizing them. Why do so many liberal leaning states come up with the dumbest most illogical laws? They are as bad as the religious retard states and their everyone needs to believe as we do illogical mantra.

Just remember FEAR sells these days! FEAR of ebikes OMFG! I really think my country is imploding from the inside out...
What difference would it make if I was plowed over and harmed by a lycra bike or a regular bike or a NYC Horse for that matter? Non. Fear sells

It would be nice if they decide to finally make some form of e-bike legal in NY.

I'm about as far away from NYC as you can get, while still being in NYS. There tends to be very ample room for bicycles on the side of the road, and going 20 MPH means you would occasionally get passed by lycra riders. If you have people dumb enough to walk in front of a bicycle traveling on the road, at speeds well below the posted speed limit, they should be apologizing to the bicyclist for being in the way.

I live and work in the city and commute every day to work on a electric bike. If I "need" to go on a sidewalk, I just ride at the same pace as a pedestrian and nobody seems to have a problem with it. I used to ride a gas scooter to work every day, just as many food delivery guys did too. I DONT think New Yorkers want to smell more exhaust. Its a silly argument, Im sorry this woman got hit, ( her twisted angle didn't look too twisted) she obviously needs to "get a life".
We NEED more electric vehicles in this city!! All the taxis and busses should be electric too.

Ykick wrote:Now he rarely uses the park for his daily commute - instead he rides the much more dangerous streets to avoid being targeted for revenue. It's really a shame he's been forced to take his chances on the streets as opposed to being targeted by the city for cash.

How much cash would they have got if he'd actually stopped at the lights?

Holy SHIT! these bicycles can go 20 frocking mile per hour! We need to put a stop to this high speed menace to society! Just think about the Children! 20 MPH is 5 MPH faster than most school zones, what if one of these guys went flying through an active 15 mph school zone at break neck speed and clipped a child! That poor child could loose an arm or even worse be killed! We need to stop this menace immediately unless you ride a regular bicycle, then feel free to ride as fast as you want since it's perfectly safe.

Alan B wrote:In our parks here they ban ebikes by requiring a disability to use one. Works for the ADA.

Cool the next time I get pulled over by the FUZZ on my ebike (hasn't happened yet) I'll tell him I'm a retarded diabetic alcoholic!

You made my DAY!! ROFLOL!!!

I need a card or something to that effect too!

Technically I am still on 20% Disability with the VA (Lord willing, I will be telling them "Thanks, but I don't need that anymore" by the end of this month!) so I could play the "disabled" card if I needed, but it really is sad that emotion and such extreme illogical "thinking" dominates political and governmental thinking.

The silly woman in that interview who was apparently "traumatized for life" by the I wasn't hit by just a bike and twisted my ankle, but it was an EVIL MOTORIZED ELECTRIC BIKE!!! didn't learn her lesson very well.

Check out the video at 2:30!!!!

My mother taught me to look BOTH ways before crossing the street, this idiot even in the little "photo shoot" giving her "15 minutes of fame" on the news LOOKS AT THE GROUND FIRST WHILE CROSSING and THEN looks ONE WAY when crossing the street!!! .

Oh YESSS this is a BIIIIIIGGGG problem, we need Big Daddy and Mommy GOVERNMENT to protect us from our stupid selves because apparently, some of us are too STUPID to be allowed to cross the street with out a cross guard!

Someone needs to edit that video and when she is looking down, then only looking one way while crossing, have a Semi-Truck come from the side she didn't look!!